Mumps. A mumps outbreak occurred in King county in November 2016. Symptoms of mumps:

Fever

Headache

Swelling of the cheeks and jowl

Anyone with signs of the infection should see a health-care provider. Most people recover from mumps in a few weeks. In rare cases, the disease can cause brain and spinal-cord inflammation and deafness.

Young children who have not been fully immunized have the highest risk of contracting the disease. Most people born before 1957, when mumps was widespread, probably were infected and have natural immunity.

An infected person can spread the virus through coughing or sneezing, and by hand contact. Other than vaccination, preventive measures include hand-washing, disinfecting surfaces and toys and avoiding infected people. (source: Seattle Times staff reporter Bob Young; and Auburn's County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin)

Statistics

Rates of vaccine-preventable diseases in Spokane County vary from year to year due to outbreaks. Overall there was a significant increase in the diseases from 4 per 100,000 population in 2009 to 13 per 100,000 in 2013. There was an outbreak of pertussis in 2012 which increased the vaccine-preventable disease rate to 43 per 100,000. In 2013, the vaccine-preventable disease rate was significantly lower than the state (19 per 100,000). The risk of contracting a vaccine-preventable disease decreased as age increased.

In 2014, 50% of Spokane County children 19-35 months of age had up-to-date immunizations records with the 4:3:1:3:3:1:4 series (4-DTP, 3-Polio, 1-MMR, 3-Hib, 3-HepB, 1-Varicella, 4-PCV). This was significantly lower than Washington state (71%) and the United States (70%). There was a significant decrease in the proportion of fully-immunized children from 2010 to 2014.

During the 2013/14 school year, 6% of school-age children in Spokane County were not fully immunized due to having a personal exemption. The rate of personal exemptions significantly decreased from 2009/10 to 2013/14 school years.

Among adults in 2013, 42% received a flu shot in the last year. This rate was similar to that of Washington state. Receiving a flu shot increased as age and education increased. In 2013, the tuberculosis (TB) rate in Spokane County was 1.5 per 100,000 population. This was similar to Washington state and from 2009 to 2013, the rate remained stable in Spokane County. The likelihood of having TB was greater among blacks and Asian/Pacific Islanders compared to whites.(Spokane Counts 2015, page 10, Spokane Regional Health District)